


Raven

by kate_the_reader



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Advent Oddments, M/M, Reunion, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-02-11 12:07:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12934938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kate_the_reader/pseuds/kate_the_reader
Summary: Eames’ ink is a history of him, the story of him, but as Arthur knows, it’s never simple.





	Raven

**Author's Note:**

> Story three in my contribution to Advent Oddments.   
> This one is a coda to [Flaws](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11452374).  
> Once again, hooptedoodle provided the prompts.

Arthur sees it when Eames leans forward in the bath.

Eames is home from a job that stretched on and on and Arthur has missed him fiercely. He’s sitting on the closed toilet while Eames lies in a hot bath easing the aches of a cramped plane seat out of his muscles and telling him things he hadn’t on the phone.

Eames’ ink is a history of him, the story of him, but as Arthur knows, it’s never simple, so he understands the black bird on his shoulder blade means something very precise. Eames will tell him when he asks, but now is not the time.

Later, much later, after they have had time to relearn each other’s bodies and slept the sleep of pleasurable exhaustion, when they are in the shower together, he turns Eames so he can wash his back. 

The bird is not quite healed, so he avoids it as he runs the soapy washcloth across Eames’ skin. Eames looks over his shoulder at Arthur, pushing his hair -- grown long -- off his forehead.

“Do you want to know?” he says.

“Of course. When you want to tell.”

Eames reaches his hand over his shoulder, just touching the bird. “It’s a raven.” He turns to face Arthur. “I did something … stupid.”

Arthur can’t help the bolt of cold dread that goes through him, but he forces himself to stay calm: “What?”

Eames grips Arthur’s shoulders. “Nothing between us. Nothing like that.”

The knot in Arthur's stomach loosens, a little. “What then? Why haven’t you told me?”

“I was ashamed.” Eames’ voice is soft, it’s hard to hear him over the sound of the falling water.

“Eames.”

Eames squares his shoulders and looks Arthur in the eye. “I did something that made Julio suffer. Dream pain. But still … it was awful. He was shaken for days.”

Arthur reaches round Eames to turn off the taps, and draws him into an embrace.

“So you got a tattoo right there on the bone to atone?”

Eames nods against his shoulder.

“And did it help?”

“Sort of.” There’s a long pause in which Arthur just holds Eames. “Telling you helps more.”

Arthur tips Eames’ chin up so he can see him, and kiss him.

They’re getting dressed when Eames says: “Julio forgave me.”

“Of course he did! Have you forgiven yourself?”

“Almost.”

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts: raven, forgiveness, soapy


End file.
